A Merry Christmas to You
by swanslikequeens
Summary: Who doesn't love a Christmas snow ball fight?


The snow swirled through the streets of Storybrooke, the wind whistling in Regina's ears. She trudged down the sidewalk, taking heavy steps through the deep snow. She loved the snow, as much as she hated to admit it, because whenever she did, one of those obnoxious Charming's would always think she was talking about Snow. Morons. Snow hadn't been much of a common occurrence back in the Enchanted Forest, for some reason. Regina had always wondered why, but never questioned when the snow came falling delicately from the sky. She remembered the year of the harshest winter, the year of Snow White's birth. There had been plenty of snow then.

But she put that aside for now. She didn't want to think of her past right now. It was to burdening for this time of the year. It was Christmas. The actual day of Christmas, in fact, and she was on her way to her own house. She had walked to the grocery store to grab a few items in preparation for the Christmas dinner. Everyone was attending, the Charming's being everyone. Snow would be helping her in the kitchen, so at least she wouldn't have to face this enormous dinner herself. Emma loved to eat, so Regina blamed most of it on her.

Clutching the paper bag filled with items close to her chest, Regina rounded the corner, drawing near to her home on 108 Mifflin Street. Her cheeks were rosy and cold from the biting breeze, and she was thankful she had at least mittens and a warm, comfortable coat. Balancing the paper bag in one arm, Regina reached to unlock the gate to the entrance of the Mills mansion, when something freezing and wet hit her in the dead center of her back. She gasped loudly, dropping the bag to the sidewalk in shock at the sudden frigidity. Luckily, there hadn't been anything fragile in there, but that didn't stop Regina from wanting to retaliate toward whoever had dared to throw a snowball at the former Evil Queen.

Whirling around, her eyes narrowed, Regina searched the street, looking for the assailant. Out of the blue, it occurred to her the only person who would even dream of teasing her like this. _Emma_.

"Alright Emma, that's enough, I know it's you. Just get your ass out here so I'll have a fair fight," Regina openly challenged.

Emma emerged from behind a wide oak maybe fifteen yards away, smirking.

"I totally nailed you." Emma mocked confidently. "You _did not_ see that coming," The blonde smiled at her triumph.

"Really? Well see you how like this!" Regina scooped up the snow into her hands and packed it firmly into a ball, and slung it Emma. It hit her square in the chest, much to Emma's surprise.

"That wasn't even that good!" Emma scoffed, brushing the snow off her puffy jacket in a casual manner, just to bother Regina. Of _course_ it had been good, but Emma wasn't going to admit that.

"Are you kidding, Swan? That beat your snowball out of the fight!" Regina huffed, already preparing another one. Emma quickly began making more snowballs, cradling them in one arm while getting ready to throw with the other. Emma launched one, hitting Regina right in the head.

"Hey! My hair is off limits!" Regina yelled, but not angrily. She giggled as she dodged another snowball heading straight toward her. Turning on her heel, she opened the gate quickly and ran through the yard. That was not something she did often, or could recall doing, well, ever. Maybe when Henry was little, but since then? Never.

"You can't hide from me! I'll always find you, Regina." Emma laughed at the iconic words that her parents used frequently.

"On the contrary, dear, I've found you." Regina appeared in a poof of smoke from behind Emma, and when Emma turned around, Regina shoved a snowball right in her face. Emma spit out the snow that had gotten in her mouth.

"Oh you did not just—" Emma muttered before tackling Regina to the ground. Emma landed on top of her, their bodies melded against each other in the snow. They were still laughing, as Regina grabbed another handful of snow and tried to force it into Emma's mouth, much to her distaste. After a second passed the two of them seemed to notice the position they were in. They fell silent, but neither one of them moved. They just stared at each other.

Regina was filled with anxiety and felt her muscles tense. This was _not_ supposed to happen. How could a harmless snowball fight turn into... this? Regina didn't really know why this made her so uncomfortable.. but it did. Green eyes peered down at her, captivating her, and making her stomach tie itself into knots, and her heart flutter. Her blood raced in her ears, as their breath intermingled. Regina noted the different shades and hues of green in Emma's eyes, and the tint of blue that it seemed to contain. It was a truly beautiful mixture, like the sky had melted into the green sea. Regina's eyes moved down to Emma's soft, pink lips, and her cheeks reddened. A rush of heat spread in Regina's body, warming her up despite the wintry temperature. She suddenly had the _very_ strong urge to kiss Emma..

Emma stared down at Regina, taking in her gorgeous features. Her blushing cheeks to her deep honey brown eyes that danced and shone when she was happy, but now, they seemed pensive, and submerged in thought. Emma didn't know why she had tackled Regina. It was meant to be playful, but Emma should have known better than to do that to _Regina_ of all people. Maybe it was the way that Regina had let loose. Had decided to play along, to entertain Emma. Maybe it was the way she laughed, the sound of it so care-free, instead of solemn and weighed down. She couldn't remember the last time Regina had let her guard down. Maybe for Henry, she had, but never for anyone else. It felt good to see Regina let go, especially for Emma. Maybe it was just because it was Christmas, and Regina was in a good mood. Maybe it was—

Regina pulled Emma down by the neck and captured her lips, shutting her eyes. Emma's eyes widened in contrary, as the surprise of Regina's actions registered. When Emma was just starting to enjoy it, Regina broke the kiss. She let out a deep breath, and watched it disperse into the cold air. Emma caught Regina's eyes again. The brunette smiled shyly in return to Emma's confounded expression.

"Merry Christmas?" Regina suggested, not quite knowing what that meant in _this_ context.

"R-right. Merry Christmas, Regina." Emma stammered. She soon realized that she still was on top of Regina. She disentangled herself from Regina, and stood up on shaky legs, then offered a hand to Regina. Regina took, it, then brushed herself off. "Well I s-should just.." Emma briskly headed toward the door, the blush on her cheeks increasing as she went. Regina watched her go, and a tiny bit of disappointment settled in her stomach. The kiss had meant something to _her_.. maybe Emma was just too scared to say anything. Regina strode over to the gate, where her grocery items had fallen, and collected them in the brown paper bag.

With a smirk, Regina reminded herself that there _was_ mistletoe above the front door, and that Emma was watching her from the window.


End file.
